The lazy reader's review of Bioshock.
Mostly-open ended, Bioshock allows you to explore Rapture and find out for yourself the history of the city while rummaging for loot. In most cases a lot of the enemies can be avoided for combat-weary players, while those who prefer to deck it out have the freedom of taking down their enemies in a number of interesting (and sometimes funny) ways.
Graphics: 9/10
The detail in the environments, especially the lighting and water is simply stunning. It is unfortunate though that the character models are not to that standard, although they still look great.
Sound: 10/10
Bioshock definitely won't be creepy if not for the excellent ambient audio - the dripping water, flowing water and cries of the splicers. Voice acting is also top notch.
Value: 7/10
Although it's possibly to replay the game (for different endings) - there is not much else to replay Bioshock for - you will probably use the same couple of plasmids/tonics again and again, resulting in less fun. Also note that the number of installations is very limited.
Tilt: 10/10
Once you start the game, it's easy to tell why it's one of the highest ranked games of all time (I believe 97% on Metacritic, the highest is 98%) - all the small things about Bioshock combine together to make it an excellent game to play.
Good:
The storyline, direction, gameplay and atmosphere are all immersive and well done - you really feel like you are in Rapture and not playing any other video game - to the point it's addictive.
Bad:
The game's almost non-existent death penalty makes it really easy to beat it - you practically can melee your way through the entire game. Some of the plasmids/tonics feel tacked on as well as it is unlikely that you will use them at all.
Who Should Play:
FPS fans, particularly those who love hybrids should get this game. As long as you can run it on at least medium settings, get it!
Potential: +-1/10
The only thing I believe 2K games will release for Bioshock are patches for the various bugs, which definitely IS good if you're having problems, but if you don't, don't expect anything.
Conclusion:
Despite a few of its shortcomings, Bioshock is simply one of those rare games which manage to interweave the various elements defining great games together well not just in concept but also in execution. It is indeed worthy of the fame it has garnered.